SEATTLE — Eugenio Suarez’s second home run of the game, an eighth-inning grand slam, broke a tie as the Seattle Mariners defeated the Toronto Blue Jays, 6-2, on Friday to regain control of the American League Championship Series.
Cal Raleigh sparked the rally with a leadoff homer in the eighth as the Mariners took a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series.
A win in Game 6 at Toronto on Sunday would send Seattle to the World Series for the first time.
Raleigh just cleared the left-field fence on a pitch from left-hander Brendon Little (0-1) to tie the score at 2-2. It was the fourth homer of the playoffs for Raleigh after he hit a major-league-leading 60 during the regular season.
Little then walked Jorge Polanco and Josh Naylor before being pulled for Seranthony Dominguez, who hit Randy Arozarena with a pitch to load the bases with no outs.
Suarez, who opened the scoring with a solo shot in the second, went deep with an opposite-field blast to right, shaking the foundation at T-Mobile Park.
Gabe Speier (1-0) pitched a scoreless inning of relief for the victory, and Seattle closer Andres Munoz worked a 1-2-3 ninth in a non-save situation.
Blue Jays leadoff man and designated hitter George Springer, who drove home the tying run with a fifth-inning double, had to leave the game after being hit by a pitch on the right knee in the seventh. There was no immediate word on his status for the rest of the series.
Toronto took the lead in the sixth off Bryan Woo, who was making the first relief appearance of his career other than this summer’s All-Star Game in Atlanta.
Woo, who hadn’t pitched since Sept. 19 because of a strained pectoral muscle that kept him off the AL Division Series roster, was greeted by Alejandro Kirk’s double to right-center. An out later, Ernie Clement, who had grounded into an inning-ending double play with the bases loaded in the fourth, lined a single to right, giving Toronto a 2-1 lead.
Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman went 5 2/3 innings and gave up one run on three hits. The right-hander walked three and struck out four.
Seattle starter Bryce Miller pitched four-plus innings and was charged with one run on four hits, with two walks and four strikeouts.
